adaptive female athletes

October 2025 -

Ongoing visual research celebrating binary and non-binary amateur and professional sports people. An expansive project exploring a spectrum of activities and movement communities women participate in.

The goal: To map out the ways visible or invisible disabilities shape the world, and the women who perform with them.

A woman lying on her side on a bed of fallen leaves, resting her head on a soccer ball, outdoors.
Black and white photo of a woman with long dark hair, squinting and slightly opening her mouth, wearing earrings and a jacket with a high collar outdoors.
A woman outdoors, wearing sports gear and a hearing aid, preparing to head a soccer ball during a game.
A black and white photo of a dog in a park, with a frisbee flying in the air. There is a bridge, trees, and a building in the background.

“Sport HAS empowered me to embrace my deaf identity with pride.” 

—Claire Stancliffe, GB & England deaf women’s football - 3 times deaflympian & 4 times medallist.

Close-up of a young woman with long brown hair, slightly windblown, wearing a gray t-shirt, against a cloudy sky background.

“Sport empowered me to show that autism and athleticism coexist, and gave me space to rediscover myself after DIAGNOSIS.”

—Lara Sullivan, Amateur runner
A woman running on a track, wearing a gray sweatshirt with orange sleeves and black shorts, with focused expression, set against an outdoor athletic field and cloudy sky.
Close-up of a person holding a stethoscope with both hands, fingers interlaced, in black and white.
Person lying on the floor with sports gloves, orange background, relaxed pose.
A mixed martial arts fighter prepares for a match in a gym, wearing white fight gloves, with logos on her shirt and gear.
A female athlete in a white and maroon sports uniform leaning on a padded wall during a training session in an indoor sports facility.

“Sport has empowered me to push in ways that I have never felt comfortable to do before.”

—Nicole Brennan, GB Para taekwondo athlete
A woman playing soccer on a field with goalposts in a park, using crutches and wearing a jersey.
A woman in a wheelchair holding a basketball on a gymnasium court.

“Sport has empowered me to fully accept my disability and learn that there are no limits to what i can achieve.”

— Izzy Papandronicou, England Amputee Football Player
Close-up of a person in sports gear practicing on a field, holding two crutches, wearing knee-high socks and a pleated skirt, with a sports tee.
A soccer player with prosthetic legs on the field, preparing to kick a soccer ball through a goal net.
A woman in a sports uniform with crutches dribbling a soccer ball on a field with a goal in the background.
Four women in wheelchairs playing basketball indoors with a ball in the air and a volleyball net in the background.
A person in a wheelchair playing with a ball in an indoor sports facility, with a coach or a trainer holding a basketball nearby.
A female athlete with long hair playing wheelchair rugby outdoors, wearing a sports jersey and a skirt, holding a sports stick.